


Novis Initiis Et Felix Consummatio

by deandratb



Series: Novus Amor [1]
Category: The Doctor Blake Mysteries
Genre: F/M, happy dog adoption fluff, i love these two okay who needs a plot?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-22 22:57:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12492720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deandratb/pseuds/deandratb
Summary: Set during 5x07; written prior to seeing the episode.The dog sneezed. When Alice automatically replied, “Bless you,” Matthew realized she was just about the strangest--and cutest--woman he’d known in a long time.Who blesses a dog?





	Novis Initiis Et Felix Consummatio

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the most adorable moment in the new trailer, because only Alice would say “bless you” to a dog, and somebody should appreciate that.

“Matthew Lawson, what is that animal doing on my clean floor?”

“Sitting,” Lawson replied, taking his coat off and handing it over to her outstretched hand. The mutt at his feet watched them quietly, tail wagging.

“You know very well what I mean. Where did it come from?”

“Dunno. He sort of...followed me home.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. Are you ten years old?”

“No, Jean, really he did. It was the strangest thing. And I...” He gathered his courage, knowing that under her soft smiles, Jean Beazley was a force to be reckoned with. “I’d like to keep him.”

“Keep him where, exactly? Surely not here. You’re in no condition to take care of him right now, Matthew,” she added gently. “And heaven knows I have my hands full while Lucien’s on the mend.”

“He won’t be any trouble.”

“Famous last words.” She frowned down at the dog. “I raised two sons, and I can tell you what comes next--muddy paw prints up the staircase that refuse to wash out, and my dinner casserole on the kitchen floor half-eaten.”

Jean shook her head, then handed Matthew the coat he’d just removed. “No, it won’t do. Not here.”

He sighed. It had been a long shot; she was even more fiercely protective of her home now that she and Lucien were engaged. Still, he couldn’t just put the pup out on the street. 

Shrugging back into his coat, he clicked his tongue. “Come along, then, boy. Let’s go for a walk.”

Arriving at the police station with the dog at his heels, he flicked on a light. _Maybe one of his men was in the market for a pet?_

“Hello.”

Lawson jumped at the voice that came out of the darkness. “Who’s there?”

“It’s only me.” Alice approached, then stopped a few feet away when she saw the dog. “But it seems you have a friend.”

“Yeah.” His sheepish smile coaxed one out of her in return. “I tried to bring him home, but Jean was having none of it.”

“I wouldn’t think so. I can’t imagine a dog having the run of the Blake house, can you?”

“No...I suppose not. It’s a shame, though. He’s a good dog; deserves a safe place to sleep.”

“Is that what’s brought you here so late?”

Matthew nodded. “I thought if I left him with some water, might be somebody would take him in the morning. What about you, what has you here after hours?”

“Just dropping off some notes. I didn’t see any reason to wait until morning.”

“Ah.” It struck him that this was probably the longest conversation he’d ever had with Alice, which made him self-conscious. Luckily, she was not the sort to let him stay that way. 

“Why did you want to keep him?” Alice asked suddenly. “It doesn’t seem like you, picking up a stray out of nowhere.”

He wondered how much time she’d devoted to thinking about what was and wasn’t like him. “Well, honestly, he reminds me of the dog I had as a boy. After he died, I never did have another pet...and I’ve always liked dogs. The way he followed me home, I wanted to help.”

“I could take him.”

“I’m sorry?”

“The dog.” She studied him for a moment, and to his credit the pup seemed to be sizing her up in return. “What have you named him?”

“Uh, I hadn’t. Didn’t know if I was going to keep him.”

“Poor thing. Everyone deserves a name.” She crouched down to pat his head. “Novis.”

“Novis.” He tested it out. “What’s that, Latin?”

Alice beamed at him, and it warmed the chill he'd caught on his walk. “Correct. It means ‘new.’ Which he is. And it’s pretty.”

“Which he’s not,” Matthew cracked, making her chuckle.

“Perhaps, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Isn’t that right, Novis?”

The dog sneezed. When Alice automatically replied, “Bless you,” Matthew realized she was just about the strangest--and cutest--woman he’d known in a long time. _Who blesses a dog?_

She caught him staring at her, and he swallowed hard before moving on. “You’re sure you wouldn’t mind him?”

“Not at all. I think we’ll get along nicely. And he can still be your dog, if you like,” she added. “You can come visit and take him for walks.”

He’d have to come to her house, Lawson thought. Regularly. Whenever he saw Novis, he’d be seeing her too.

“Yeah. That’d be good,” he said when he realized she was still awaiting an answer.

“Good. That’s settled then. To all things new,” she declared briskly, holding out her hand. 

Was he supposed to shake it? Kiss it? He was rusty when it came to this sort of thing, and with Alice it was even harder to know what she was expecting. Settling on a middle ground of sorts, he just held it, her chilled fingers clasped in his.

“To the new,” he agreed. 

The dog nosed into the space between them, and lifted a paw to tap their joined hands.

“Well, aren’t you clever?” Alice grinned at Novis, then at Matthew. His eyes on hers stayed serious, and warm.

“Ought to be,” he pointed out. “After all, he’s half yours.”

“Hmmph.” She waved away the compliment, but her cheeks were an unusual shade of pink. “That may be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Right.” He released her hand. “What do you say I walk you back?”

“I’m sure Novis would like that. I’d like that,” she added. “But will you be alright?”

“It’s a short walk,” he replied, reaching for his cane. 

“Okay, then.” She tugged her coat and scarf into place. “Novis, time to go home.”

Then she looked his way. “Shall we?”

**Author's Note:**

> Title is Latin for "new beginnings and happy endings."


End file.
